LA Summer
by KakeruTamaki
Summary: Third in the Trilogy! The two clubs plan to meet up in L.A for the summer...Narumi and Kiri try to work out a relationship and Tamaki goes overboard...again.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! Long time no see, huh? This is basically a prologue to the third in the now Ouran-Beauty pop TRILOGY! (Following on from Mirror Image and The Ryokofu Invasion) How exciting is that? I've had a lot of tuition on my writing since I last updated so I hope this will be the best of all three! But I wasn't sure if people were still interested...So here goes.

It's going to be set the summer after they finish High School (as in Kiri and Haruhi's year)... both clubs meet in L.A for the holidays before Haruhi and Tamaki go off to...err...where does Haruhi go to University again? I can't remember...but I'll look it up before I start writing!

I wasn't sure how many people still wanted to read my stuff so if I get so much as one review I shall endeavour to actually write it! But if I don't get any I'll let it rest and never return to the world of fanfic. I only have 4 weeks before I go to Japan for six months and I won't be working up til that point so I should be able to get most of the story done and updated very quickly. And for anything I don't finish, there will be a reasonable gap between where I leave it and when I update it again because I'm unsure of how soon I'll get internet in Hokkaido.

Please let me know your thoughts!

Kakeru Tamaki

P.S. Sorry if you thought this was an actual story...it's not...yet but I highly recommend the prequels. (no harm in self promo, huh?)


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to L.A Summer Chapter One! It's set the summer after Kiri leaves for L.A and coincidentally, the summer after Haruhi's first year in ...I want to say Boston..? To save writing all the boring details, please just assume that the two clubs have agreed to meet for the summer in order to catch up after a year and half of not seeing each other. **

**The Ryokufu Invasion takes place between the competition in the last B.P book and Kiri leaving Japan. So as things stand now; Narumi and Kiri are unaware of Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship and vice versa and they are also not technically 'dating' yet themselves. The last time the two of them saw each other was the day Kiri left for L.A, giving Narumi a hug and her hat. Things are going to be a bit awkward at first... ENJOY!**

Passport, Visa, clothes, other necessities, was there anything else he might need? Maybe an adaptor plug? No, America had the same ones didn't they?

The eighteen year old with golden brown hair padded across his room in his socks, his slippers had already been thrown into the suitcase resting on his bed. He'd only been to L.A once before to visit his father's foreign branch, it was strange to think he was going to see _someone_ rather than _something_ this time. His stomach lurched. Narumi's fingers wandered and rested on his lips. It seemed so long since he'd last seen her. He'd been too stubborn to contact her first, and she was too stubborn to pretend she cared at all and as a result, he and Kiri had barely kept in contact at all.

Did she think about him as much as he thought about her? He wondered as he crossed over to his dresser and picked up the bright red hat that had been sitting there for almost a year. Maybe she really didn't care anymore? Spending a year in a city so full of vibrancy, away from Japan and its polite and dignified culture, perhaps Kiri would now find him boring compared to her new life?

Narumi placed the hat on his head. His hair had gotten long again; slightly longer than when he and Mussy-head had first met. He'd tried to trim it similar to how she had that time after he lost the bet, but it felt wrong when he cut it himself now. The flow and length of the hair was never quite right so he'd decided to grow it out.

Checking the clock on his bedside table, Narumi's stomach lurched again. He was supposed to be at the corner of the street for Ochiai to pick him up! They had less than half an hour to get to Narita airport. Shoving a final few things into the suitcase and jamming it shut, Narumi didn't notice that he'd left the hat on his head as he rushed down stairs, called a quick goodbye to his family members, pulled on his trainers and darted down the street where the neat black car was already waiting for him, humming in the August heat.

Before heaving his case and himself into the car, Narumi took a final look at his home. The smell of heated asphalt mingled with the scent of flowers blooming in nearby gardens gave him the sense that it really was summer.

"Sempai, would you stop reading over my shoulder like that? It's starting to bug me!" Haruhi fumed. She and Tamaki were sat side by side on a train headed for the centre of Los Angeles. She was desperately trying to study one of her law books before the excitement of summer took away any chance of her working over the next few weeks, but Tamaki was not making things easy.

"But it's so interesting!" Tamaki exclaimed, "There are laws for everything! I really am surprised..."

"Just because you grew up able to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted does not mean that the rest of the world wasn't faced with regulations for everyday life," Haruhi sighed. She had got beyond the point of caring what he had to say on the matter now. For over an hour he'd been commenting on the same page. She'd had to read and reread it because the over excited passenger at her side kept interrupting.

"I see..." Tamaki trailed off and Haruhi was relieved. At last! Some quiet. "Ah! Haruhi! I just noticed something of utter importance!" Tamaki blurted out, making her jump.

"What now?" she glared at him, snapping the book closed. Tamaki cowered back, but held up his index finger in front of his face.

"Just one, very small thing," he whispered, afraid of his angry girlfriend. "You still call me sempai!" he continued to whisper, although this time with a hint of anger. "We've been officially dating for almost eleven months and you still call me sempai! Why? Why, Haruhi?" Tamaki was gradually getting louder and louder. Haruhi was sinking further and further into her seat as other passengers started to stare and the passionately yelling blonde boy. "I mean, you haven't called me 'darling' or 'dearest' even once! No 'pumpkin' or 'sweetie'! Is one sweetie too much to ask, Haruhi? I call you sugar all the time!"

"I NEVER ASKED YOU TO CALL ME THAT! IT'S EMBARRASSING! Especially when you do it in front of the others..." her sentence drew to a close as the train pulled into the platform. Haruhi jumped up at once, grabbed her suitcase from the luggage rack and bolted for the door.

"Haruhi! Wait!" Tamaki attempted to follow her, but was stuck behind the other passengers milling to disembark. When he'd finally grabbed his case and made it onto the platform, Haruhi was nowhere in sight.

"HARUHI!" He called out from the middle of the platform, everyone was staring. "YOU CANT LEAVE ME IN THIS FOREIGN PLACE! COME BACK, SUGAR!" Haruhi was standing behind a bollard, an angry vein twitching in her temple. If he was going to be like this all holiday, she had half a mind to leave him there!

**I hope you liked it! :D Please review xx**


	3. Chapter 3  Patience

**Hello! Here's chapter 2! (The only BP members travelling to LA are Kazuhiko Ochiai, Kei Minami and Shogo Narumi...sorry if you wanted any of the others but I'm just keeping it simple. If you really want anyone else to turn up...let me know and I'll see what I can do **** )**

Tamaki stood alone on the train platform as the crowd fizzled away to nothing and the train he and Haruhi had arrived on filled with passengers and departed. He looked across to the steps leading towards the exit, surely he would have seen Haruhi if she'd gone that way? Then again...maybe not. She _was_ pretty short...

"Are you going to stand there daydreaming all week, Tamaki?" a chill ran down his spine at the deep, familiar voice that came from behind.

"Yeah, Tama-chan! We want to visit the Scissor Project!" a similarly familiar voice, although nowhere near as deep set as the first added. Tamaki swivelled on the spot and his eyes widened greatly at the sight of his fellow Hosts who were all stood there in their summer attire. Mori and Honey had matching red Hawaiian print shirts, Hikaru and Kaoru were in simple jeans and bright t-shirts and Kyouya was in a neat, short sleeved blue shirt. His glasses reflected the bright light of the summer day.

"WHAT THE HELL? How did you get here?" he yelled, pointing in turn at each of the guys. "You!" he pointed at Kyouya, "Are you responsible for this? This was supposed to be a romantic holiday between myself and Haruhi!"

"Yes, about that. You really didn't notice us on the seats behind you on the train the whole way here? Be serious Tamaki. We weren't going to get the later train just because you wanted some time alone with Haruhi, who, by the way, is hiding behind that ticket bollard just over there," he nodded his head in the direction of the bollard and, upon hearing that her hiding place had been discovered, Haruhi slipped out from behind it and waved half heartedly at the lot of them.

"HARUHI!" Tamaki called with delight and began rushing towards her, but two sets of hands held him back.

"Milord, you have been bugging her all day. Give her a break!" Hikaru commanded, tightening his grip on Tamaki's arm.

"You have been pretty annoying. I would have run away too if you started calling me 'sugar'. Urgh. It's so tacky," Kaoru shook his head with apparent disgust.

"What would you know?" Tamaki shook himself free. "You don't know the first thing about love! Haruhi knows it's how I express my affection," he then raised his voice louder to reach across the platform "Don't you Haruhi?"

"Sometimes I wish you'd express your affection a little more subtly!" She yelled back and turned towards the exit, dragging her case along.

"There we have it," Hikaru sighed.

"Come on, Tamaki," Kaoru patted the host king lightly on the shoulder, "we have less than an hour to find our hotel and check in, then find this restaurant we're supposed to meet Kiri at. We should follow Haruhi's lead," he and the four others filed past Tamaki who was stood wordlessly on the spot, his mind was whirring.

'Why? Why Haruhi?' He thought to himself. 'It's our first vacation together and you go off without me and side with the devilsome pair? At least I'll have Narumi to talk to...he's always liked me...'

Kiri had been sat at the table on her own for an hour already. It would have been embarrassing for a normal person to sit alone at a table reserved for eleven people, but Kiri wasn't exactly what you'd call bashful. She knew how unreliable these people were, in fact, she booked the table three hours later than she told them she would because she knew they wouldn't be on time. Whether they were coming from Boston or Tokyo, her guests should have had ample time to settle into their hotels and make their way to the restaurant, after all, it was on the hotel premises.

She ran her fingers through her light auburn hair lazily. She was excited at the prospect of seeing the Host Club guys again, particularly Haruhi who had always been extremely nice to her. She was also looking forward to seeing Kei and Ochiai again. But Narumi. At the thought of Narumi her gut twisted. It had been almost a year. Maybe she didn't like him anymore. Maybe he didn't like her anymore.

Kiri slumped forwards and rested her head on the table, creasing the fine white linens and making the glass tinkle as her hair brushed gently against it. Were they ever going to get there? If they were much longer she was going to go up to the front desk and ask for their room numbers. Embarrassed she was not. Impatient? Hell yeah.

**Please Review! xx**


	4. Chapter 4 More Patience

**Hello again! Sorry for the wait! Here's chapter 3...**

The vein in Narumi's temple was twitching. His arms were crossed, his expression; murderous. He was sat uncomfortably on the edge of one of the beds in the twin room that had been reserved for him and his friend. Who the hell had organised these rooms?

"I can't believe we have to share!" he growled, standing up angrily and pacing the room. "You would have thought that for the amount we paid for this trip, we'd get our own rooms!"

"I couldn't agree more Narumi,"

"There must be some kind of mistake! Maybe Mussy-head mixed up the room bookings?" he snarled but before he had chance to say much else, a violent whack to the head sent him crashing back to the bed he had just vacated.

"NARUMI! What have I told you about calling Kiri-chan Mussy head?" Tamaki roared stoically. "I know this isn't exactly an ideal situation but it could be much worse," he rounded off, resigned.

"You were agreeing with me a moment ago!" Narumi protested as Tamaki wandered around, taking in the detail of the place and running a finger along the windowsill to check for dust.

"Of course I was! I thought Haruhi and I were supposed to share a room!" he called passionately. "We have been dating for a long time but have yet to seal our love with a romantic holiday!"

"Urgh, too much information," Narumi shivered with disgust and tried to distract himself by unpacking his suitcase. "Wait...you two are actually dating now?"

"Of course! I forgot how little you know! We are in love, my sugar and I!" Tamaki spun around poetically, his hand on his heart. Narumi had been at the hotel barely ten minutes before Tamaki sprang this information upon him. It was more information than he could take.

Already his mind was pushed to the max. The SP guys had arrived, checked in and received the shocks of their lives when they realised that a small corridor was taken up by ten of the eleven reuniting students. They found that Honey and Mori had the room to the right of Narumi's, Hikaru and Kaoru were in the one to the left, Kyouya was supposed to be sharing the room opposite with Ochiai but he went down to the check in desk and paid for a private room three doors down. Kei's room reservation had never been made so he was now sharing with Ochiai and Haruhi was in a twin room alone but she had barricaded herself in so that 'No stupid Suoh boy' could get in. Still, Tamaki's news was the biggest shock of all.

"I can't believe she can stand to date you," Narumi muttered.

"I know! It's amazing that she's coped with having such a beautiful boyfriend isn't it? I thought she may have gone wild with envy at the attention I get from other girls, or paranoid that a guy as handsome as me would cheat on her. Or something like that. She has shown extreme strength, hasn't she? Ah, Haruhi. What would I do without you?" Tamaki smiled dreamily to himself.

"That's not exactly what I meant, but whatever," Narumi had enough experience to know that you didn't attempt to disagree with Tamaki. He was so confusing and had such a bizarrely tracked mind that any attempt to change the Suoh boy's mind would have Narumi spinning in circles. It was better to leave him with his day dreams.

"Right-o!" Tamaki called a few moments later, "It's time to rally the troops and meet in the restaurant downstairs! That was the rendezvous point Kiri-chan suggested, right?" Narumi's stomach jolted at the sound of her name.

"Yeah," he breathed. Ochiai and Kei had laughed so hard at him when he met them before their flight from Narita airport. Having not realised he was still wearing Kiri's hat, Narumi had made a bit of a fool of himself. He had shoved it awkwardly into the front pocket of his case and had decided mid-flight that he'd give it back to her today. Once Tamaki had vacated the room, explaining that he was going to 'round the others up for the big and official meet up', Narumi removed the hat from the suitcase, folded it as best he could and placed it in the back pocket of his jeans.

If he didn't have the courage to give it back to Kiri today, at least she wouldn't see he even had it with him.

**Please review! There are plans for many giggles in the next chapter..! xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am on a roll today! Chapter 4 coming your way...(I've kinda noticed that it's gonna be mainly TamaxHaru and NaruxKiri again and that the other characters don't feature much. I have plans for Honey, Kyouya and Ochiai to appear more later tho...and I want somewhere to put the twins...hmm...we shall have to see).**

"Tamaki, will you get off my arm?"

"Sorry! I'm just so excited! I haven't seen Kiri-chan in so long!" Tamaki beamed as the massive group made their way down the stairs to the hotel lobby and across it towards the restaurant.

"Yeah, well, neither have I," Narumi grumbled, shaking the clingy host off of his arm. "Go cling to Haruhi's arm if you need someone to hold on to,"

"I would but she told me I've already reached the twenty five percent attachment limit,"

"The what?" Narumi asked, confused.

"I'm not allowed to hug her for more than fifteen minutes an hour...I have to wait another forty-five minutes before she'll let me hug her again," Tamaki sighed mournfully.

"You have rules for that?" Narumi was surprised that Haruhi could control him so well, and that he actually listened to her commands.

"She says it keeps her sane," Tamaki sighed again, Narumi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Haruhi, she had a lot to deal with.

Hikaru and Kaoru reached the restaurant entrance first and were greeted by a waiter as the others tricked in to join them.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Sure we do," Hikaru grinned, using perfect English. Ouran High prides itself on its international language teaching after all.

"It should be under the name of Koshiba," Kaoru added.

"What are they saying?" Kei looked up at Ochiai, his brow furrowed. "It sound's kinda alien to me,"

"Kei, they are speaking English. It is one of the most common languages on the planet, I suggest you learn some," Kazuhiko informed him; pushing his glasses up his nose, waiting to hear the waiter's response. He must make the most of this trip, if only for picking up language skills. Who knows when a foreign business opportunity may present itself?

"Ah, Koshiba," the waiter chuckled. "Your host was very early,"

"Early? How early?" Kaoru asked, intrigued. Narumi, Tamaki and Ochiai strained their ears, they were anxious to hear the waiter's response. Kiri couldn't have been here that long, could she? They had arrived dead on time!

"She came yesterday and waited three hours before asking a member of staff at the hotel desk whether you had arrived. It appears she got the wrong day," the waiter smiled.

"Kiri-chan has been here for twenty seven hours?" Tamaki rushed to the front of the small crowd and grabbed the man's jacket. "I hope you looked after her properly! Did you feed her and let her use a table cloth as a bed sheet? We'll pay the bill! I'm sorry we're a day late! Maybe the train went through a time-loop! HARUHI! Why did you put us on a train that skipped a day?"

"Shut up Tamaki. Kiri obviously just made a mistake. Is she here now?" Haruhi asked simply, trying to calm the excitable atmosphere.

"Of course, Miss Koshiba is waiting patiently at the table reserved," the waited grinned. "It's just around the corner to the left," he held out his arm and the youths milled off in the direction he gestured. Tamaki lagged behind.

"Thank you for your service my good man! Here, something for your trouble," Tamaki subtly placed a fifty dollar bill in the waiter's hand. "That is for letting her use the table cloths. They may not be the warmest of bedding, but you commoners sure do know how to be resourceful," he smiled and strode proudly after the others. The waiter couldn't believe his luck. Fifty bucks because of a joke. Nice.

**Haha! Tamaki's such a moron, but we love him for it! Please review! xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Woo for Ouran and B.P! I'm trying to write as much as possible in the next 2 days because after that I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. I leave for Japan on Monday! YAY! Enjoy chapter 5...**

Kiri was surprised at how little everyone had changed. Mori still sat next to Honey sempai with that servant-like respect whilst being slightly fatherly in his actions towards his short friend. Kei and Honey still ate everything in sight. Kyouya and Ochiai remained businesslike and reserved. Hikaru and Kaoru made her smile as much as they ever had. Tamaki was as crazy as he had ever been and Haruhi was as pleasant and friendly as Kiri remembered too.

The greetings were still going on and everyone was talking and yelling and laughing at once. Despite being glad to see everyone again and being bombarded with questions, Kiri couldn't help but keep glancing in a certain direction.

Narumi hadn't changed either. As soon as she had seen the host club and S.P guys headed her way, she knew he would take the seat furthest away from her. Whether it was good or bad, she didn't know. He was either being stubborn because he didn't want to seem too keen, or he was distancing himself to let her down easily. Now which of the two was it? His hair was longer now too...it was messy. He totally needed to get it cut.

He hadn't breathed a word and was sitting with his arms folded. Perhaps he was just tired? Maybe he had jetlag or something...

"Hey Kiri-chan!" Tamaki called across the table. "Did they look after you ok? Twenty seven hours is a long time to wait in a restaurant!"

"Huh?"

"Don't be moronic, Tamaki," Kyouya shook his head. Was Tamaki really that stupid? "She obviously went home after she learnt that she'd confused the dates,"

"But, the waiter took my 'thank you for looking after our friend' tip!" Tamaki told his friend, appalled.

"He probably thought you appreciated his joke," Kyouya explained. "Never mind. At least the staff will treat us well if they think they'll be tipped well for it,"

"Isn't that a little deceptive, Kyouya sempai?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Possibly," Kyouya grinned maliciously as their meals arrived.

The friendly banter continued as the plates were gradually cleared and it drew to a lull when all were nicely filled with fantastic food.

"So, Koshiba-san, what plans do you have for us over the next few days?" Ochiai asked across the table once everyone had finished. Everyone's eyes moved and fixed on Kiri expectantly.

"Well, there's the walk of fame, the art museum, the Chinese theatre. We can do whatever you want, I'm not your tour guide," she replied simply.

"And we have to see your new home, Kiri-chan!" Kei cheered. "I want to see Emi and Seiji, Emi and Seiji!"

"Since when have you been on first name terms with the Koshiba parents?" Ochiai scoffed, everyone else just laughed.

It was eventually decided that, as it had been a long day for most, they would all head off to sleep early and meet the next morning ready for some sightseeing. Clambering to their feet, Tamaki and Narumi led the way out of the restaurant and back through the lobby. Kiri was waving everyone off a few feet behind when Tamaki held out his arm to stop Narumi in his tracks.

"You haven't spoken a word to Kiri-chan, why don't you go over and say hi?" Tamaki smiled, "I presume I'm correct in guessing that there has been some development to the, err, affiliation between the two of you?" Narumi's gut twisted.

"Affiliation? Huh? No! I mean...You can't be serious?" Narumi blanched and stopped dead in his tracks. He had avoided her gaze all evening, he wasn't going to waste all that effort by going and _talking_ to her! That was a stupid idea!

"Well, I'm not going to let you into the room until you've spoken to her! Haha!" Tamaki giggled immaturely, waved the room key in front of Narumi's face and skipped away across the lobby.

"Hey! How did you get that?" Narumi yelled after him, but Tamaki was already too far away. How had he got the key? Narumi was the last one to have left the room! He stood bewildered watching all the host guys, Kei and Ochiai follow Tamaki back to the rooms, all were unaware that he was grumbling to himself; "Sneaky bast-"

"Hey Naru-naru," a familiar voice echoed from behind him and a shiver ran down Narumi's spine. Why now? Why couldn't she wait until things got unbearably awkward between the two of them and he was forced to yell at her while she just looked at him apathetically? Kiri really did know how to push his wrong buttons.

"Mussy head," Narumi swallowed, his cheeks reddening all of a sudden. He turned around slowly to see her looking up at him with the same blank expression he remembered. Her eyes looked different though. They shone in a way that made her seem wiser. She surveyed him thoughtfully.

"You need a haircut," Kiri told him bluntly.

"I know I need a freaking haircut!" he snapped, folding his arms. "But I can't do it right anymore! It's always a few inches out on the right side so I decided to leave it and let you do it when I next saw you!" he growled, the words spilling from his mouth in a rage spiral. "We haven't seen each other in a year and that's the first thing you say to me?"

"Calm down, Naru," Kiri smiled widely, "if it matters that much to you I can take you to the Koshiba Salon L.A branch first thing tomorrow. We can meet up before the others, if you want?"

"A...Alone?" Narumi blurted out without thinking.

"Pervert," Kiri shook her head and turned to walk away, realising his mistake, Narumi rushed after her and grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her back to face him.

"Tomorrow. I'd like that," he said, swallowing hard, his heart beating at a million miles an hour.

"Awesome. Meet me here at seven. Now...Will you let go of my wrist please?" she asked stonily. Narumi released her arm and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Tomorrow then," he nodded, Kiri nodded back then turned and walked airily away. A massive weight seemed to lift from Narumi's stomach, and before he realised what was happening he was standing outside his and Tamaki's room, smiling to himself.

**Please review! xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6 my friends! **** YAY! Lulu Halulu, so far you're the only one reading this (who has reviewed) so this chapter and the 5 before it are dedicated to you! Peace out my friend**

Having just changed into his pale blue pyjamas and bear slippers, Tamaki was all ready to hop into bed and snuggle down for the night when he heard a mysterious shuffling outside the bedroom door...

"Hello?" he asked tentatively. "Haruhi? Is that you?" there was no answer, but suddenly the handle rattled. "ARGH! It's a ghost! What do you want with me?"

"TAMAKI!" a voice growled through the door, "It's me! I've only been gone five minutes, open the freaking door!" Tamaki heaved a sigh of relief and wandered over to unlatch the door. He swung it open to reveal a surprisingly happy looking Narumi.

"Oh, thank the lord; you're not going to yell at me again are you? I must say your ghost impression was rather frightening,"

"No I'm not going to yell at you," Narumi shook his head, resigned and meandered into the room, flopping onto his bed.

"You spoke to Kiri-chan then?" Tamaki enquired, a grin stretching over his face. "You seem much less..."

"Angry?" Narumi guessed.

"I was going to say tense," Tamaki was being much less of an idiot than Narumi imagined he would be. He expected to be bombarded with questions as soon as he returned and for Tamaki to act like an excitable high school girl. But he didn't. He just smiled knowingly, slid off his slippers and clambered into his own bed. The two of them lay in silence for a few moments and Narumi had a chance to really take in what had just happened downstairs.

Kiri had invited him to the Koshiba salon. Him alone. She spoke to him after everyone had gone. That meant something, right?

"Oh for God's sake! I can't take it any longer! Tell me what Kiri-chan said!" Tamaki yelled into the silence after less than a minute. Narumi gritted his teeth. This was certainly going to be an interesting holiday.

x

Honey wasn't sleeping well. He could hear Mori tossing and turning, it was so strange. Takashi never tossed or turned! He hit the pillow and was out like a light. What was wrong?

"Takashi? Are you feeling ok?" Honey asked sweetly.

"Hm. No. Not really..."

X

Narumi's phone buzzed under his pillow at six thirty. Groggily, he switched off the alarm and pulled himself out of bed, washed and dressed. At ten to seven, he slipped quietly out of the bedroom, being careful not to wake a soul. He would have tiptoed quietly down the hallway had it not been for a small, blond haired boy sat outside one of the doors a little way down. Honey was sat looking cold and rather dejected.

"Honey...what are you doing? Why are you sitting in the middle of the corridor?" Narumi was perplexed.

"Takashi," large tears welled in the small boy's eyes, "Takashi is very ill. He warned me to stay away," the tears began to trickle down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do! He told me not to bother waking anyone for his sake, but I have nowhere to sleep! Help me Narumi-chan!"

"Honey, you can use my bed, I'm going...for a walk," Narumi adlibbed. "Why don't you check on Mori in a few hours and see if he's improved?" Narumi glanced at his watch. Five to seven. Honey sniffed mournfully.

"But what if Takashi gets worse while I'm sleeping? I don't know what to do!" Honey's tears were falling thick and fast now. Narumi was itching to leave but felt guilty about the idea of leaving him crying.

"What exactly is wrong with Mori?" Narumi asked, checking his watch again and again.

"He's been sick a few times, he's burning up and he didn't say but from the way he's tossing and turning I think he's probably got stomach cramps too,"

"Crap," Narumi cursed under his breath. "Sounds like appendicitis. Why don't you get Kyouya? His family works with hospitals right? He'll know what to do,"

"Kyo-chan is scary! I don't want to wake him up! I'll get burned to a crisp!" Honey exclaimed through the tears. Narumi glanced at his watch again. One minute to seven, he was going to be late.

"Fine, I'll wake him," Narumi decided. The sooner this was sorted out, the sooner he could relax. He didn't want to blow his chances with Kiri before he'd even had one. This week would certainly test his patience.

**Please review! xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm writing this chapter from a hotel near Heathrow Airport (London). I have no idea when I'll get it published but I thought I may as well write lots so that when I do update, you have loads to read after the long absence! This time tomorrow, I'll be on my way to Tokyo!**

Narumi knocked three times on the door and waited with bated breath. No answer. He knocked again...still no answer.

"Kyouya-san?" Narumi had never really been sure where he stood with Kyouya. The only relation they had was as employer and employee as it was he who had reserved the S.P all that time ago for the Host Club. Since then, sure they'd seen each other, but they never really talked. Did Narumi even have the right to wake him up? Probably not but his friend was ill so surely this would be ok?

Narumi knocked three times more, this time more forcefully.

"Kyouya? We need your help out here," no answer. Narumi was about to try once more, when the door swung open to reveal a bleary and red eyed demon.

X

Kiri glanced at her watch again and then out of the door to the early morning sunshine. She hadn't expected Narumi to be late. He had seemed happy enough when she'd invited him. He's only five minutes late, she told herself. What does five minutes matter? He was probably on his way now...

x

Ten past seven. Half past seven. Seven forty five. Sweat drops were dripping their way down Narumi's forehead. He was stood with his arms crossed, his back to the wall next to Mori's room door. Honey was crouched beside him on the floor looking miserable and sniffling with apparent distress.

A sudden 'clack' snapped both of them into reality and Kyouya emerged from the room in dressing gown and slippers with a grave expression on his face.

"What is it Kyo-chan? Is Takashi going to die?" Honey asked, sobbing.

"No, Honey-sempai. There's no need to worry, he'll be as right as rain soon enough," Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose sleepily.

"Well, what is it? Just flu? Or..?" Narumi faltered.

"Not flu, or appendicitis," Kyouya sighed, "It's more likely to be food poisoning," he grumbled. "Someone is going to get an earful. No one interrupts a decent sleep because of bad food! It's just counterproductive,"

"Will he be ok now?" Honey asked tentatively.

"I assume so," Kyouya said assuredly. "Most of the food is out of Mori-sempai's system now. He needs plenty of rest and lots of fluids. I suggest you leave him be, Honey-sempai," Honey sniffed tearfully in response.

"Can I sleep in your bed, Naru-chan?" the small boy turned to Narumi.

"Sure, just go in, it's unlocked," Narumi heaved a sigh of relief. He could finally go and meet Kiri. He was nearly an hour late but she'd understand right? He'd done the good thing by making sure that Mori and Honey were looked after.

Making sure that both Kyouya and Honey were in their prospective rooms, Narumi belted down the corridor towards to elevators.

'Ground floor' the tinny voice told him a moment or two later. Narumi skidded out of the lift and rushed towards the lobby where he saw the short, slender auburn haired girl still standing, waiting for him.

"Mussy-head!" he called breathlessly. She turned, he expected that she'd be angry. She wasn't. Apart from the usual blank expression, she seemed, if anything...relieved. "Sorry I'm late...there were...err...complications," Narumi mumbled awkwardly as he drew up to Kiri.

"Complications? What kind of complications?" she asked, looking up at him. She was wearing denim dungarees that looked extremely baggy on her slight physique, a plain red t-shirt and black baseball shoes. Narumi had a sudden epiphany; western casual fashion really suited her, he couldn't imagine Kiri wearing a Yukata or Kimono. It was strange.

"I'll explain on the way," Narumi told her. Kiri shrugged and began to lead the way. Narumi's stomach was all knotted, his eyes kept darting to her pale, bare arms, down to her wrists and hands. He quickened his pace to walk beside her, internally daring himself to take hold of her hand.

Five minutes of walking in the L.A sunshine passed quickly and still he hadn't done it. It's ok, he told himself. You have loads of time. There's no rush for this.

"Here we are," Kiri smiled up at him and beckoned towards a small but neat salon in the middle of the high street.

"I didn't think it'd be so close," Narumi mumbled to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing," they'd have to go for a longer walk if he was going to work up the courage to hold her hand...ever.

**If you're disappointed at not seeing the 'Sleepy Kyouya and Narumi interaction' don't worry, it'll be reported later! **

**Please review! xx**

**Since writing the comment at the top, I found out that this hotel has free internet! YAY! So here's the chapter! See you in a week or two! xxx**


	9. Chapter 9 Shivers and Scares

**Hello! Long time no see, huh? I am in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan! How exciting is that? And because I'm here I totally want to write about it! I may do a one-shot after L.A Summer about the Host club and S.P in Sapporo for the snow festival! But for now, please enjoy the chapter!**

The first thing Narumi noticed upon entering the LA branch of the Koshiba Salon was that it looked exactly the same inside as the one in Japan. If he hadn't been accompanied by Kiri through the very American streets on the journey there, Narumi would have had to walk outside again to check he had not teleported from one country to another. There were a few subtly differences though. The walls were painted green instead of the pale cream colour back in Japan. The floor was laminate tiles rather than wooden but apart from that; it was startling how similar the two salons really were.

"Seiji and Emi are out this morning," Kiri informed Narumi who was still gazing around in awe. "Are you going to sit down or what?" she asked dryly. Suddenly, Narumi remembered why Kiri had invited him there in the first place.

Snapping to his senses, Narumi wandered over to one of the salon seats and sat down more forcefully than he had intended, the result of which had him sliding to the floor. He sat on the ground for a moment, dazed, until he heard a 'pfft' from behind him. His cheeks reddened. He stood again and placed himself, this time more delicately, on the chair. He could see Kiri's reflection in the mirror in front of him. She was having a hard time suppressing laughter.

"I forgot how stupid you were," Kiri told him, her features breaking into a wide smile. Narumi crossed his arms in irritation. They'd been together all of ten minutes and she already had a bad opinion of him. Great.

"Just cut my hair will you?" he growled. Kiri nodded and pulled something gold and glinting from her pocket. She spun the scissors on her right index finger and smiled again.

"Are you ready for me to work some magic?"

X

Tamaki woke, yawned, stretched his arms above his head and sat up feeling lively and refreshed. His alarm clock read 9:30. The bright sun was beaming in through the gaps in the drawn curtains. It was time to get out of bed and enjoy a glorious day with his lovely girlfriend Haruhi and his brilliant friend Narumi!

He climbed out from under the covers and walked over to the window. He was about to open the curtains when an idea hit him. Quickly he retreated, washed and dressed as quickly and quietly as possible then, that being done, he opened the curtains and the light streamed onto his face with a warming glow.

"What a beautiful day! Come, Narumi! Today is far too beautiful to stay in bed! I've been up for two hours already!" he grinned. The person still under the covers of the other bed stirred. "Come on Narumi! We are supposed to meet Kiri-chan and the others in half an hour and we haven't even had breakfast yet!" Tamaki wandered over to his sleeping friend and prodded the covers. "Wake up wake up, wake up!" Tamaki called energetically. A growl echoed from beneath the comforter. "That's more like it!" Tamaki whipped back the covers from the head of the bed. But it was not Narumi who lay there... It was a red, bleary eyed monster...

"WAH! Sorry, Honey-sempai! Please have your sleeping apparel back!" Hurriedly, Tamaki forced the comforter back over his small sempai's head. "Here! You can have mine too if it will aid your sleep!" He grabbed his own bed coverings and threw them haphazardly over Honey. "CRAP! The curtains are still open! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't be angry! I thought you were Narumi!" he dashed to the curtains and pulled them closed before rushing into the corridor and shutting the bedroom door behind him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"What a mystery...Honey in Narumi's bed. There must have been a terrible accident! Perhaps Honey, in a wild rage at being woken in the early hours of the morning had run into the first room he could find and devoured its first occupant, only to sleep in his bed! Shocking does not even begin to cover the situation! Oh, Narumi! Rest in peace!"

X

Kiri ran her fingers gently through Narumi's newly trimmed hair. He had generally thick hair, but it was smooth and sleek, easy to cut. She was just checking that the length was right on both sides when Narumi shivered.

"Are you cold?" she asked. It was relatively warm inside, Kiri was surprised.

"No," Narumi mumbled. How was he supposed to explain that it was the gentle touch of her hands brushing the side of his face that made him shiver? Kiri walked around him and bent down so that her face was mere inches from his. "What are you doing?" Narumi asked, swallowing hard.

"I'm checking that the length is right," she whispered. She was evidently deep in thought, concentrating on her task. But she was so close to him. Narumi threw caution to the wind, brought his hand up to her chin and pulled her face even closer to his. He brushed his lips against hers and felt hers respond. His fingers were now brushing her cheeks.

Kiri had been startled only for a moment. As soon as Narumi's soft lips had met hers she knew that this was what she'd wanted. His arm curled around her waist and for a moment both his arm and his lips held her fast. Then the spell was broken. They moved apart.

Narumi looked deeply into Kiri's eyes. She seemed thoughtful, he was about to speak but was saved the trouble when she spoke her thoughts without being asked to impart them.

"Enough distractions," she said simply. "A little bit on the right side is two millimetres longer," Narumi started;

"Make it even then!" he demanded. Kiri pulled out her scissors and snipped the stray hairs that had escaped her notice before.

Narumi grinned from the corner of his mouth. Why did they both have to be such hopeless perfectionists? Theirs was not going to be a normal relationship.

**I hope you enjoyed that! It was lots of fun to write! My heart was squiggling with glee! Ha ha! **

**Please Review! xx**


	10. Chapter 10 Mystery Teacup

**Hello! Sorry, it's been a while since I updated! I'm still in Japan but don't worry- I'm in Hokkaido so wasn't affected by the earthquake (I mean, I felt it...but it wasn't severe). Keep praying for the people in Sendai and further south who are still struggling! And on a slightly less depressing note; someone mentioned in a review (sorry, I'm not online while writing this so I can't check who you are...) that there was fluff in this story...and I was like 'OMG, I write fluff!' I never noticed it before! Anywho, I hope you like fluff because this story will probably have more than the others. If you don't...well...read something else! Shoujo manga/anime is cool! Anyway...long rant over, back to plot (pfft! Like there's actually a plot!) Enjoy! Oh! (sorry, rambling...) and I've never been to LA so there is going to be a lot of creative remoulding. If the facts aren't there...forgive me.**

Cleaned, shined and sharpened, Kiri placed her scissors back in their rightful place and leant lazily against the wall, looking at Narumi from behind. He was still sitting in the same chair, looking at the mirror intently. She couldn't tell whether he was looking at his hair or his face, either way, Kiri decided that he was pretty vain. He had a look of such determined concentration that Kiri was fighting an internal battle over whether to poke fun at him or just watch and enjoy the comedic situation before her eyes.

Narumi's brow furrowed and he let out a confused 'hmm'. Perhaps he wasn't just admiring his own reflection after all, thought Kiri.

"What's up?" she asked simply. She knew the cut was fine; she'd checked at least eight times.

"This is a little awkward," Narumi started, "but..."

"You don't like the cut? It's the same one I gave you last time, only this one is a bit more, hmm..." Kiri pondered for the right word, "mature?"

"No, it's not the hair. It's us. I mean...are we 'us'? Are we 'going out' or not?" Narumi asked, fumbling over his words.

"If we're not, you totally have some apologising to do," Kiri said blankly. "Oh, and I'd like my hat back too. I know you have it with you. You sat on it at dinner last night." Narumi's mind reeled. He'd not worked up the courage to give it back to her but she'd known he'd had it with him in his pocket all along?

X

"Ooh! Apple juice...and orange juice! And cranberry juice! And...what's that?"

"It's tomato juice, Kei," Ochiai explained.

"Urgh! No thanks! Do they have Pepsi? Calpis?* Cola?" Kei asked excitedly.

"Kei, it's a _breakfast_ buffet. Generally, people don't drink cola with breakfast,"

"They don't drink cola but they drink tomatoes? This country is weird," Kei shook his head in dissatisfaction and wandered off to pile his plate high with pastries. Ochiai sighed at his friend's lack of cultural understanding and wandered over to the table where Tamaki was sat alone, holding a cup of tea up to his face with both hands, poised to take a sip but not actually getting any closer to his mouth.

"Tamaki? Is everything ok?" Ochiai asked, taking a seat opposite Tamaki and placing his breakfast on the table before him. Coffee and croissant; simple but efficient.

"I don't know," Tamaki mumbled from behind his teacup. "This morning has been very strange...yes...very strange..." Thinking that nothing could be stranger than this young adult who still acted like a four year old, Ochiai raised an eyebrow, nodded and said nothing. He didn't want to become involved with any crazy plans or ideas the brooding Tamaki might come up with.

"It's like this..." Tamaki began (without any encouragement from Ochiai in the slightest), "I get up to find that my roommate has changed. I can't find Haruhi, Kyouya isn't in his room and Narumi is nowhere to be found either. Mori hasn't come down for breakfast although he's usually the first host awake in the morning and those devilish twins...well..." he looked around the breakfast room suspiciously, "I think they knew which teacup I'd pick, because it's stuck to my hand," Tamaki whispered the last part so Ochiai wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.

"Say that again?" he asked in disbelief.

"The teacup!" Tamaki hissed. "It's been glued to my fingers! This is unbelievably awkward, embarrassing and ungentlemanly! How am I supposed to hug Haruhi when my hands are glued to a teacup? And in this awkward position no less!"

"How did they even know which teacup you'd pick? How did they know you'd be drinking tea in the first place?" Ochiai wondered aloud.

"My thoughts exactly, my friend...my thoughts exactly." Tamaki nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't intended for Ochiai to get involved with the series of mysteries unfolding that morning, but as Kyouya wasn't there to cry to, he supposed the Kyouya look-alike would have to do. "And another thing," Tamaki added as an afterthought, "I heard you speaking with Kei before. Why _don't_ people drink cola with breakfast?"

Having no desire to start a conversation about cavities, sugar in soft drinks and breakfast beverages, Ochiai looked at his watch, praying with all his heart that it was almost time to meet with Kiri and the others. It was five to ten.

"It's almost time to meet the others, Tamaki. Are you ready?" he asked, completely ignoring Tamaki's question, downing his coffee and scoffing down his croissant.

"Of course I'm not ready!" Tamaki blurted out in frustration, "I have a freaking teacup glued to my hands! I swear, when I see those twins I'm going to kill them slowly and painfully! *enter Tamaki mind theatre* Maybe I'll gouge out their eyes and skewer their hearts? Or perhaps chopping off a limb at a time with a pen knife would draw things out nice and long? Yes, I'll do that and once they're gone I'll claim their inheritance and be even richer than I already am!" Tamaki chuckled to himself, still holding the teacup inches away from his face. "But still," he said, snapping back to normality, "Where does one go to remove teacups from ones' skin?"

Ochiai clenched his teeth in frustration. How had Kyouya put up with this for so long? At long last he was beginning to gain a little respect for the wealthy snob. Anyone who had _that_ much patience with a person like Tamaki couldn't be all bad, right?

**Please review! xx**

***(Authors note: Calpis is a Japanese drink I have become slightly obsessed with...it looks like watery milk but tastes sweet and yummy! If you ever find yourself in an anime convention or Japan, buy some! Oh, they also have Tomato juice in Japan...I just thought it was the weirdest juice I could think of so that's why Kei doesn't recognise it...yeah.)**


	11. Chapter 11 The Plot Thinnens

**Hey again, sorry...I seem to be rather busy at the moment so it's not easy to update! Please be patient with me! *bows head* Anyway...on with the moronic and comic ways of the Host Club and Scissors Project!**

The hot sun felt like a blessing against Haruhi's skin as she sat in the hotel courtyard and basked in the glow of the morning light. The heat was seeping into her every pore and as her eyelids closed, she felt so at ease she could have fallen asleep in an instant...were it not for the nagging sense of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, she felt a slight pressure against her sides and her eyes snapped open once more to see two identical troublemakers on either side of her.

"Come on, Haruhi, its funny!" Hikaru gleamed.

"Yeah, I'm impressed. Your guess was perfect. It's amazing how well you can read him," Kaoru grinned. Haruhi sighed, resigned to the fact that it was too late to turn back now. The deed was done.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this. You know it's going to be me that will have to take him to the hospital to get it removed, right?" she shook her head in exasperation.

"We know," the boys chorused, "but we needed you to make sure we picked the right cup...and, if you take the blame we don't get into trouble with the hotel staff for it. Tamaki will stand up for _you_,"

"So I'm your scapegoat?" Haruhi asked incredulously.

"Pretty much," Kaoru smirked,

"But you said yourself it would be funny to watch him fret for a little while," Hikaru added. "How did you know which teacup he'd choose anyway? How did you know he'd even have tea?" the twins looked at Haruhi expectantly and she felt her face flush. She looked at her watch. Time to meet up with the others!

"Well..." she stared, leading the way to the hotel entrance, "He mentioned yesterday that he wanted tea at breakfast, as for which cup...I knew he would choose it because..."

"I chose this one because it has the initials 'H.S' on the side amidst the ivy pattern!" Tamaki told Ochiai, who still had not managed to walk away from the situation he had stumbled upon. It was ten past ten. Kei had wandered off to meet the others but _he_ was still stuck here with the insane host king, unsure what exactly he was supposed to do. Tamaki downright refused to meet up with the others with a teacup glued to his fingers and Ochiai felt guilty about leaving him to solve the situation alone. If left to his own devices, Ochiai thought, Tamaki would probably end up with a kettle permanently stuck on his head to boot.

Tamaki was now relating every choice he'd made since getting out of bed this morning to pass the time.

"'H.S'? What's significant about the initials 'H.S'?" Ochiai asked absentmindedly, while looking desperately on his i-phone for information on the nearest hospital or plastic surgeons. The sooner they got rid of the teacup, the sooner he got rid of Tamaki

"'H.S'," Tamaki said proudly, "Will be the initials Haruhi has when," he paused for effect and beamed brightly, "When we get married!" his features went red and he shook his head violently from side to side. "I was so overwhelmed with excitement upon noticing it, that I couldn't _not_ pick this teacup!"

"You do realise that that brand of teacup is specifically for Herbal teas? The 'H.S' stands for Herbal Solution. It's not as romantically prophetic as you seem to think," Ochiai commented casually. Tamaki looked crestfallen.

"I'm drinking English Breakfast Tea out of an Herbal Teacup? That's disastrous! I knew I should have picked chamomile!" having missed the point entirely, Tamaki downed the remainder of tea in the cup and looked at Ochiai expectantly. "Could you possibly get me a chamomile teabag and some hot water? I'm not exactly in the position to do it myself..." he looked forlornly at his fingers. They were not budging from where they'd been stuck. "You would think," he continued thoughtfully after a complete lack of reply from Ochiai, "that the heat from the cup would melt the glue, wouldn't you?"

Ochiai put his head in his hands. What the hell was he supposed to do with this guy?

Narumi had walked a step behind Kiri all the way back to the hotel to meet the others. He had been determined to take her hand in his at some point on the short walk, but failed again as they arrived back at their destination far too soon for him to work up the courage. They were dating. It was official. It was strange to think he'd been so nervous over something so small and seemingly petty. He wondered momentarily if Kiri had been as nervous as him before meeting up again after a year, but then reminded himself that she was never nervous anyway. It was weird how she could be so often entirely devoid of emotion, yet oddly expressive in her own blunt way.

Kei, Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi were all waiting at the entrance as agreed on the night before, everyone else however, was missing.

"I hate it when people are late," Kiri groaned, leaning lazily against the wall.

"Mussy-head, we were five minutes late ourselves!" Narumi told her sharply.

"It's not my fault you took so long checking every single millimetre of your hair," she replied dazedly, grinning slightly. Narumi's countenance softened slightly. Haruhi looked between Kiri and Narumi. The atmosphere between them had changed since last night. She had been surprised to see them show up together, but it wasn't that big of a shock. Not really.

"Hey Naru-naru!" Kei piped up. Narumi looked down at his short friend, a renewed scowl etched on his face.

"What?" he snapped.

"Don't talk to your girlfriend like that. If you're nasty, she'll go crying to Ochi! He likes her smiles too!" Kei echoed this so loudly that it took Narumi all his willpower to stop himself from knocking him violently to the floor.

"Keep your voice down!" he growled angrily at Kei. The latter part of Kei's comment had been lost however. The Hitachin's had let out such a loud whooping noise at the fifth word that no one had heard the part about Ochiai but Narumi.

"Oh! So you two are officially dating now? Nice! Congratulations!" Hikaru and Kaoru smiled emphatically and rushed over to Kiri and bombarded her with a series of pertinent questions.

"Kei!" Narumi took advantage of the moment when everyone else's attention was on Kiri and hissed at his small friend, "You can't tell Kazuhiko. Not yet. I need to tell him in person. I don't want him getting pissed off!"

"You need to tell him soon!" Kei sang merrily, "these host club types aren't exactly good at keeping secrets," he grinned cheekily and skipped off to join those questioning a bamboozled Kiri. Narumi stood there fuming. How was he supposed to tell his best friend that he was finally in a relationship with the girl they'd both fallen in love with?

**Please review! Even if it's negative! Constructive criticism improves the story! :D xxxx**


	12. Chapter 12 whoops

**Sorry it's been a long wait! Bless you for waiting like good little fanfic-ers!**

Earlier that morning...

The main office was on the very top floor of the hotel, it was a wide and had numerous windows, but was dimly lit. Blinds had been drawn down as if the hotel owner had an aversion to light, and only thin strips of golden sunlight managed to seep their way into the room.

He was a burly man with greying hair and a wispy beard that curled like fumes of smoke down to his chest. He surveyed the young man at the door, cynical that he could be any real threat. Young people these days just made stuff up about their standing in society in order to complain to the higher-ups... they had absolutely no respect.

"How can I help you?" he may as well feign politeness, after all, the kid wasn't leaving this office with anything else apart from the knowledge he'd been treated as a valued customer.

"I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you about the way this hotel is run," Kyouya glared at the old man through his well-polished glasses.

"If you have a complaint, please contact our customer services. They'll be more than happy to help you," the man grinned falsely.

"This goes beyond your peons at the front desk, sir. Serious food poisoning is a ground for termination of business. A friend of mine has salmonella from your food. Now, would you like me to contact the local health agency or would you rather listen to a few of my requests?"

"What? How dare you come in here and accuse us of-" the man began to splutter.

"I'd nod and go along with this if I were you; my friend you see, he's in a rather serious condition. But I suppose I can make the problem go away..." Kyouya interrupted enigmatically.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the owner growled angrily.

"You don't want to know who I am. You'll regret having ever asked but for now let's say I'm a sleep-deprived and dissatisfied customer,"

Back to the now...(roughly 10:15 am)

Ochiai made his way out into the entrance hall, well aware that he was getting numerous looks from passers-by because of the thing stalking so close to his back.

"Tamaki!" Ochiai span around angrily, "You can't walk two centimetres behind me for the whole day! It's just not going to work. It looks like we're trying to smuggle teacups out of the hotel!" he snapped. A fountain of tears gushed from Tamaki's eyes.

"What am I supposed to do to keep this thing hidden?" Tamaki bawled, then suddenly directed his emotions from overly depressed to passionately serious "We need to go out of the front exit to go and find a hospital, but if we do that we'll pass the others who are waiting for us! I can't face this public humiliation! It will taint the Suoh line for generations! My children will call me an idiot if I don't get rid of this soon!"

"Trust me, your children will be calling you an idiot as soon as they can talk, it won't matter if you still have the cup attached to your hands or not..." Ochiai mumbled under his breath.

"Look, Kazuhiko!" Tamaki, who had remained completely oblivious to Ochiai's remark attempted to point to the entryway where all the other host and S.P members were now gathered, minus Kyouya and Mori, however, as the cup was still glued firmly to his hands, it was more like a weird, Mexican-teacup-wave. "We need a diversion! Quick! Go and poke Hikaru in the eye! It will give me enough time to run for it and it'll make us all laugh! Well...maybe not Kaoru, but I have been saying for a while that those twins have a bad sense of humour,"

"I am not going to walk up to the guy and poke him!" Ochiai blurted out furiously. This was getting beyond a joke now. Who cared if Tamaki was discovered with the cup stuck to his hands? Not him!

Completely resolved to not care in the slightest, Ochiai marched boldly up to the S.P and Host Club members, a weepy Tamaki still skittering along behind, whimpering and pouting.

"Haruhi!" Ochiai burst into the group of smiling faces with such a sour expression that the high mood that had been developing only a moment before (Honey had just showed up so they were re-telling the discovery of the morning; meaning they told him about Narumi and Kiri...) deflated immediately. "Please control your boyfriend and get that ruddy teacup off his hands before I break it and slit his throat with one of the shards!"

"We can't smash it!" Tamaki balled immediately, revealing himself to the curious group. "It would destroy the brilliance that is Haruhi's future initials!" at these words, Hikaru and Kaoru burst into peals of laughter, clutching their sides for the mere effort of laughing.

"Hah! This is the best day ever!" Kaoru chuckled! "Haruhi is persuaded to pull a prank, Milord has to go to hospital and love comes to fruition! Ah, if only Mori hadn't contracted food poisoning,"

Tamaki looked at Haruhi as if she'd just stabbed him in the heart. Ochiai followed Kaoru's words carefully; so it was Haruhi who'd pulled the prank on Tamaki? But, how did that mean that their love had come into fruition?

"How is Haruhi playing this stunt any good for their relationship?" Ochiai asked incredulously.

"Huh?" Kaoru asked, perplexed.

"He doesn't mean _their_ love,' Hikaru explained, pointing between Haruhi and Tamaki, "Kaoru was making a separate point!" he paused for effect, "Naru-naru and Kiri just came back from their first date as an official couple! Kei guessed outright as soon as they showed up, and he guessed right! Sweet, huh?" unaware of how heartbreaking their individual pieces of news had been, the twins continued to grin happily.

But two hearts had been pierced by the explanations given. Tamaki looked at Haruhi, utmost distress and betrayal was smeared over his features. Ochiai looked to Narumi, anger welled inside him like a storm and he felt for the first time, no, he wished Narumi and he had never met.

**I hope the lengthiness will make up for lost time! Please review! :D x**


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